By Canadian Press

Canada to take on Italy in senior men’s football exhibition contest.

Feb 27, 2025 | 9:09 AM

Canada’s national senior men’s football team will face host Italy in an exhibition contest April 19 in Cagliari.

It will mark the first meeting between the two countries. It will also be the Canadian program’s first international game since capturing a silver medal at the 2011 world championship in Vienna, Austria.

Canada’s national junior program earned a third straight world title last summer in Edmonton.

Italy has won three European championships, most recently in 2021, and has also captured three silver and two bronze medals. The Italians will compete in the European final four with Austria, Finland and Germany later this year,.

Canada’s roster will include quarterback Michael O’Connor and offensive lineman Josiah St. John, both former CFL players.

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O’Connor, 29, who guided the University of British Columbia to the 2015 Vanier Cup, spent time in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts (2019), Calgary Stampeders (2021) and B.C. Lions (2022).

The six-foot-three, 230-pound O’Connor began his college football career at Penn State.

The six-foot-four, 309-pound St. John was the first player taken in the 2016 CFL draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders following his college career at Oklahoma. St. John, 32, spent a total of five seasons with the Riders (2016-18, 2021-22) and also played with the B.C. Lions (2019) and Edmonton Elks (2019, 2023).

St. John was with the Toronto Argonauts in 2019 but was among the team’s training-camp cuts.

O’Connor and St. John will be among 45 players Canada will have on its roster for the exhibition contest versus Italy.

“We are confident that this group represents the best of Canadian football and will compete at the highest level,” Jesse Maddox, the Canadian team’s head coach and general manager, said in a statement. “We are excited for the challenge ahead.

“Canada is back, and we are committed to setting the standard for senior men’s tackle football on the international stage.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2025.

The Canadian Press